This past summer I was lucky enough to attend the Vans Warped Tour, an alternative music festival. Although the festival was great as always, it was somewhat depressing to see only 11 female artists out of the 130 total bands that performed. There was not a single band of only females, which just goes to show that even with an open-minded genre of music, there is still a gender-restricting wall that discourages females from forming bands. For the sake of clarity, the definition of a band in this case is a group composed of a vocalist, drummer, guitar player and bass player.
The aforementioned wall is the generally accepted, preconceived notion of a woman's role in society. Females are held to a higher standard in terms of responsibility. Many are expected or pressured to settle down and grow roots, by securing a stable home for their husbands and children. If a woman was to pursue a career as a musician in a band that travels around the country for years, physiologically, time would be running out for her to meet an eligible man to father her children. It appears that she must choose either to pursue a career or a family life.
Although the difference between a man and a woman's role in society becomes clearer as they age, the gender restrictive barrier starts to build from the time that they are children. In The Atlantic's now famous article, "The Confidence Gap," there is discussion on the differences in the development of confidence between different genders. Males have rowdy, risk-taking behavior reinforced by authority figures, while women are encouraged to follow the female paradigm of being respectful, demure, and rule-abiding. Everything about being in a band is disobeying societal norms.
When considering genres that uphold the general structure of a band, rock bands — which include prog metal, heavy metal, alternative and more — are typically at the top. Especially during the '70s and '80s "cock rock" movement, this genre has been defined by testosterone-fueled lyrics, the enjoyment of which clashes with traditional role proscriptions for women.
A prominent example is the Canadian band Rush. In a 2008 interview the guitarist of Rush, Alex Lifeson, stated, "Our concerts back then (1977-1985) were about 99.9 percent guys. ... Now we'll see groups of girls come down on their own. That's something you wouldn't have seen (in the band's early days)."
Even though women may be more willing to openly enjoy this kind of music, they still face discrimination when it comes to creating it.
Sydney Sierota and Taylor Jardine, two females and Warped Tour artists who do appreciate the more alternative and heavy music, were interviewed by Fuse magazine. Both expressed thoughts about the difficulties of being a female on the tour, from men yelling sexual references at them on stage and at meet-and-greets to security actually doubting they were artists and not fans. Jardine talked about how consistently the sound crew will tell her she is fine when she asks for a change in the sound as if she does not understand her own instrument or music. Although it is not typical for a woman to be completely into heavier music, it should be understood that there are some women who have a great appreciation for it and choose to play under the genre.
Sexism today is driven by our culture's idea of pre-existing gender roles which ultimately will continue to influence women to play a defined part. Marriage and starting a family is the typical goal of a woman in today's world. Settling early is not a primary objective of a male, thus there is more of an incentive to be part of a band and travel with a sense of importance. Ultimately, women should push past these walls. Music could be so much more if bands weren't a boys' club.
Reach the columnist at Ryan.Santistevan@asu.edu or follow her on Twitter @ryanerica18
Editor’s note: The opinions presented in this column are the author’s and do not imply any endorsement from The State Press or its editors.
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